This weekend’sThe Magnificent Sevenis a mixed bag of dude - ranch banter ( courtesy ofTrue Detective ’s Nic Pizzolatto ) and six - barrel shoot - outs ( unlade byOlympus Has Fallendirector Antoine Fuqua ) . At times the moving-picture show feels like a half - baked excuse to dress Denzel Washington up in a risk taker cowboy hat , but dress Denzel Washington up in a risk taker cattleman chapeau is a half - baked excuse worth spend a penny .
The Oscar - make headway actormay agent Mexican standoffs like a John Grisham attorney , but he ’s not even the sharpest gunslinger of the wild bunch . That honor go to Byung - hun Lee , the unsung hero ofThe Magnificent Seven . As Billy Rocks , a Chinese assassinator who ’s speedy on the trigger and even quicker on the hilt , the South Korean actor is indulgent - speak and ruthless , a gruff , comedic partner for Ethan Hawke ’s tall - fib - telling rifleman .
It ’s a virtuoso - making performance – or would be , if Byung - hun Lee were a Chris Pratt - like situation comedy actor steal the action movie spot . Unfortunately , he ’s just one of the most resilient actors on the satellite .
Sony Pictures
Byung - hun Lee has been a Hollywood musician for the last seven years , playing … the " diffused - spoken and unpitying " fighter . In the twoG.I. Joemovies , he play the determined ninja Storm Shadow . InRED 2 , he play the driven enemy of aged undercover agent . InTerminator Genisys , he played a determined robot chase Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke . smell a trend?The Magnificent Sevensticks to the typecasting . Byung - hun Lee , a professional , primps his mustache , adjusts his hat , and nails the prototypical Wild West foreigner theatrical role like Alan Ladd . So why is n’t this guy a virtuoso ?
He is one in South Korea . Byung - hun Lee broke out after come out inJoint Security Area , a South - North Korean border thriller from acclaimed director Park Chan - wook ( Oldboy , Stoker ) , which he followed with an prize - gain stint on the TV serial publication Beautiful Days ( savvy streamers can receive the show in the nook of American internet ) . world attention – or , global care from those looking around the globe for exciting new talent – came with three collaborations from South Korean auteur Kim Jee - woon : the crime sagaA Bittersweet Life , the westerly ( and clearMagnificent Seveninspiration)The Good , the Bad , and the Weird , andI Saw the Devil , among the most violent , relentless , and powerful revenge thrillers I ’ve ever seen . Each provided Byung - hun Lee with distinct characters , ranging from politic wheeler dealer to gentle - spoken and ruthless fighter .
He come stateside with a honed skill . This snip bottle it all up :
Paramount Pictures/YouTube
Byung - hun Lee made his English - language debut opposite Josh Hartnett in the 2000 noir thrillerI Come with the rainwater , and figure the Hollywood fray inG.I. Joe : raise of the Cobra , present off against Channing Tatum with more gusto than a movie based on an legal action soma line deserves . A decade afterwards , he has a foot in two massive moving-picture show industries , a face his consecrate Tumblr acolyte slap on anything and everything ( Byung - hun Lee - brand mug , anyone ? ) , and enough momentum to bring fifth or 6th fiddle in American blockbusters .
With Southeast Asia playing an increasinglyvitalpart in worldwide box office goals , there ’s a insistence for a nonwhite Brad Pitt to emerge from the Hollywood talent puddle . Byung - hun Lee is the obvious solution , and the evidence is approachable . See his 2002 body - swap thrillerAddictedon Hulu , Joint Security Area andTerminator GenisysonAmazon Prime , Kim Jee - woon ’s godforsaken WesternThe Good , the Bad , and the Weirdon Netflix , andThe Magnificent Seven , presently in dramaturgy . possibly buy your Byung - hun Lee mug in advance – you ’ll be one of us by the last of your endurance contest .
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